Zimbabwe’s former vice
president Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose sacking last week triggered the military’s
takeover, has returned to the country, an aide told AFP Friday as ageing leader
Robert Mugabe clung onto power.

Mnangagwa, who is a
leading candidate to succeed to President Mugabe, flew back to Harare on
Thursday after nearly a week abroad as army chiefs and the president met to
negotiate Mugabe’s exit from office.

The 93-year-old
president has refused to resign, sources said, after soldiers this week put him
under house arrest in a stunning turnaround for the veteran leader who has
ruled Zimbabwe with an iron fist since 1980.

The generals took over
late on Tuesday after Mnangagwa was sacked by the president and Mugabe’s wife,
Grace, emerged in prime position to succeed her increasingly frail husband.

The military was
strongly opposed to Grace’s rise, while Mnangagwa has maintained close ties to
the defence establishment.

Mugabe’s motorcade on
Thursday took him from his private residence to the State House for the talks,
which were also attended by envoys from the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) regional bloc.

“He is refusing to step
down. I think he is trying to buy time,” said a source close to the army leadership
who declined to be named.

Government TV showed
Mugabe, the world’s oldest head of state, dressed in a navy blue blazer and
grey trousers standing alongside army chief General Constantino Chiwenga.

Zimbabwe was left
stunned by this week’s military intervention which came after Mugabe’s advanced
age sparked the bitter succession battle between Grace and Mnangagwa.

Mnangagwa, 75, was
previously one of Mugabe’s most loyal lieutenants, having worked alongside him
for decades.

But he fled to South
Africa following his dismissal and published a scathing rebuke of Mugabe’s
leadership and Grace’s presidential ambitions.

The military said Friday
they had detained some “criminals” in Mugabe’s government in a reference to
supporters of Grace’s presidential ambitions.

Grace has not been seen
since the military takeover.

State TV said a
graduation ceremony at a university where Mugabe is the chancellor would
proceed as planned on Friday, although it was unclear if he would attend.

‘Very
delicate time’
Morgan Tsvangirai, a former prime minister and long-time opponent of Mugabe,
told journalists in Harare on Thursday that Mugabe must resign “in the interest
of the people”.

He added that “a
transitional mechanism” would be needed to ensure stability.

Tendai Biti, who served
as finance minister during the coalition government after the 2008 elections,
called it “a very delicate time for Zimbabwe”.

“A way has to be worked
out to maintain stability,” he said.

Harare’s residents have
largely ignored the few soldiers still on the streets with shops, businesses
and offices operating as usual.

Eldred Masunungure, a
lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, said the formation of a “pre-election
coalition” could be a viable response to the crisis.

The international community
has been watching the crisis closely.

In Paris, the head of
the African Union, Guinea’s President Alpha Conde, warned that the continent
“will never accept the military coup d’etat” in Zimbabwe and called for a
return to the “constitutional order”.

“(Problems) need to be
resolved politically by the ZANU-PF party and not with an intervention by the
army,” added Conde.

Meeting in Botswana, the
SADC called for an emergency regional summit to help resolve the crisis, urging
Zimbabwe to “settle the political challenges through peaceful means”.

Britain, Zimbabwe’s
former colonial ruler, called for elections scheduled for 2018 to go ahead

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Meet IfeanyiCy

IfeanyiCy Njoku, a youth mobilizer/advocate, media consultant and political strategist who has used his office to reach out for the poor and the less privileged in our society, Currently working as executive director Center for Youth Development and Peace Initiative.